Ultimate All Star: Red Hood-Punisher
by Scratimus
Summary: New city, new beginnings, same bad guys, Red Hood has arrived in Tampa, FL. This time he is doing things his way, but he must be mindful this is Punisher's turf. Mafiosos and the like beware the streets just became more bloody. All characters belong to their parent companies.
1. READ BEFORE YOU START!

_**Warning!**_

_**Ultimate All Star Red Hood/Punisher is meant for mature readers only. All characters except for the ones I introduce and created (Clairvoyant, Father Ebenezer Roseblood, Nox, etc); are owned by their parent companies. Subject matter within Ultimate All Star: Red Hood/Punisher does not reflect the views or opinions of its author: Scratimus. Ultimate All Star: Red Hood/Punisher contains characters that use offensive words, stereotypes, slurs both racial and obscene. If they offend you then I, Scratimus, have done my job to portray them as realistically possible to their culture and background. Once again they are not a reflection of my views, opinions, or upbringing, I simply want to portray a realistic, raw, no candy coating story, I am a creative writer and enjoy the liberties that come with that. I will not apologize for what I have written, so I wrote this disclaimer. With that being said I bring you ULTIMATE ALL STAR: RED HOOD/PUNISHER! **_


	2. Welcome to Tampa

_**A/N:**__Here it is the moment you've been all waiting for! This is just a taste more to come with better action for now enjoy my madness! Make sure you have read the disclaimer first I am serious about this read it first! Tra La ~Scratimus_

* * *

_**Welcome to Tampa**_

_**Arrival**_

"_I don't know where I am going but I am free…"_

_I-75, Georgia-Florida state line, "_free to do this my way._" _Jason Todd whipped past _Georgia State Troopers_ they stopped when he crossed the border. He had finished off Slade and left him for dead, he sure he was dead there was no way he could have survived. He was no longer welcomed in _Gotham_ for his actions and Bruce Wayne, Batman, did not want anything to do with him.

Both had felt betrayed by the other ones actions, but Jason Todd taking up the mantle of the Red Hood had him cast out of the Batman Family. He made his way south with the rap artist Macklemore with Ryan Lewis' song '_Can't Hold Us'_ blasting through his helmet. Unlike the song he could not go back… not for a while at least. Gotham was still his home, born and raised but to continue as the Red Hood, Batman would not have it.

Oliver Queen had been true to his word about the card, he alone financed him for now. Jason needed to be finically independent from anyone but that didn't mean he could not use the resources handed to him. He informed Queen where he was and Queen gave him his Penthouse in Tampa, Florida. "Tampa…sure why not?" Jason Todd popped a wheelie sped off.

_**Last Call**_

"_Those who do evil to others…"_

_Sunshine Skyway Bridge, _"_—the killers, the rapists, psychos, sadists—will come to know me well. Frank Castle is dead. Call me... the Punisher._" Punisher swore to himself with his battle van behind him. He had just put away Howard Saint attaching evidence linking him to the murder of his entire family along with various other crimes such as embezzlement of charity funds, arson, drug smuggling, etc. He knew the evidence against the Toro Cartel would not stick due to them being in Cuba and diplomatic immunity. He had avenged his family and due to what he believed divine intervention stopped himself from committing suicide.

He heard something blast past him, it was a red motorcycle popping a wheelie as it sped by. "Fool is going to off himself." He shook his head and let the rising sun kiss his face. He then got in his van and headed for the city.

_**The Wheel in the Sky**_

"_Too much competition…"_

_Port of Tampa,_ an attractive woman in her mid-twenties gets off a cruise ship that finished its tour from _Gotham Island_ to _Tampa, Florida_. "_I need a fresh start in a new city, to make new music._" Clarissa Tobias Crescina aka _Clairvoyant, _thought to herself as she placed her head phones in her ears. They were not meant to play music even though they could, but rather they were for her condition, _**Hyperacusis**_, _a health condition characterized by an over-sensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound (a collapsed tolerance to usual environmental sound)._ At the age of 5 she underwent a radical surgery performed by Dr. Thomas Elliot to cure her condition. The surgery was somewhat successful; though it did not cure her there was a beneficial side effect. She became a child prodigy in the realm of music. Clarissa only needed to simply hear once how an instrument was played and instantly knew how to play it herself.

However, this was not her specialty, she was the notorious serial killer know as Clairvoyant. Her weapon of choice was catgut strings that she learned to make in Gotham at her parents' former music shop. She was now in Florida and was anxious to get started. No, Batman and Robin or any Bat-Family. As far as she knew Florida was free of any sort of super heroes with powers or not. In the PA system of the port she heard Journey her favorite band play her favorite song, '_The Wheel in the Sky_'. As she took in the notes she saw a black van with a rough man with the appearance of Tom Jane from a movie she once saw.

_**Setting down roots**_

Jason Todd typed in the code at the entrance gate, the gates opened and he made his way to the parking garage. Security had already been informed of Jason's pending arrival and were given his description. Jason got off his bike and readies his hands. "Mr. Todd, Mr. Queen told us to show around and escort you to the penthouse." Jason relaxed and nodded as he got in the cart and they gave him the ten cent tour.

He was then shown the fully furnished penthouse the door unlocked to his retina scan and hand print. As security left and the door locked the walls flipped revealing places for equipment and his uniform. Todd allowed a small smirk to reach the corner of his mouth. "_Welcome to Tampa _Jason your new home." He touched his red helmet and it shifted then transformed revealing the Red Hood mask/helmet as the optics flashed. He placed it on a wig holder then touched a table. The walls flipped again and an entertainment center retracted and slid into a wall it revealed his bike that he parked in the garage. "Sweet!" He hopped on and left as the entertainment center slide back into place. He called Oliver, "This is sooo freakin cool!"

"You're welcome Jason, I leave you to your devices don't do anything that would make me come after you." Queen warns.

"Noted but I will serve justice according to the crime." Todd replies coldly.

"I don't want to know what that means but heed my warning." Queen states.

"I will. Thank you again Ollie." Todd replies.

"No problem I will give you a request though." Queen lightens the mood.

"Name it." Todd chimes.

"I hear of a criminal maybe a vigilante calling himself The Punisher is active in the area." Queen continues.

"Request." Todd states with curiosity.

"Observe him and see if he is on the side of the angels." Queen replies.

"Simple enough." Todd chimes again.

"I am not acting as your handler Jason you are your own man now." Queen states as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Didn't expect you to but I appreciate the sentiment. Red Hood out." Jason cut the line; he liked Ollie and with his last statement earned his respect. "The Punisher huh?" Todd mused, "Here I thought I was alone."

The Punisher turned in for the day in his bunker under an old subway system. "I am alone in this crusade save Soap in TampaPD." He took out an MRE and tossed it in a plastic bowl popping it in the microwave. The bunker was basic and very military. No TV only a repeater that fed off the police band, his bed was a cot for his air mattress popped recently before he solved his rat problem. They were still around but feared him and left him alone. His battle van was outside his HQ and had everything he needed, Soap had hooked him up through various drug busts with equipment that was almost cutting edge. The connections were cut as soon as he entered his HQs area to limit tracking.

He finished his MRE and plopped down on his cot he heard a noise but figured it to be rats. So long as they were outside his HQ he didn't care. With his modified _COLT M1911A1s_ under his pillows, Punisher slips in to light sleep.

The noise Punisher heard was not rats but rather a body that was alive. A woman jumped down after it dressed in a conductor's tux and a bandana mask split in black and white with music notes on it. She dragged the body deeper inside the subway away from its other occupant. The woman was Clairvoyant and the body was a man that ran a music store downtown that did not know real catgut from manmade.

She was set on rectifying this in her own special way. She slices open his belly alive and pulled out his intestines. She had been to her hiding spot earlier and had made preparations. She severed them from their hosts as his eyes watched on in utter horror. With the fibers and muscles are still warm and she then strips them of fat and fecal matter plunging them into cold water. She takes them out and makes a set of three strings; the set is tied together, creating a long rope. Rather than wait 2 days Clairvoyant had perfected her craft to less than 2 hours.

After further cleaning she soaks them in a special lye solution to remove any last bits of membranes. Clairvoyant then sends the set through a machine that scrapes them down to the muscle, leaving only a long tube of casing about 30 feet long. The casings are bleached for aesthetic reasons and cut into strips of the same length and thickness using another machine designed to cut them equally, and they are stored in salt and other preservatives until she was ready to use them.

Clairvoyant then soaks the strips in an alkaline solution to remove the salt until thoroughly wet and then attached them at one end to a turning machine or rack. She then polishes and rounds the strings using a center less grinder, rubbed with almond oils to prevent them from becoming brittle and dried under low, warm air heat. Once dried, the strings are wrapped with silver and are tuned and checked for pitch trueness.

The man fails to see the full process as he had expired after seeing what she was doing to his entrails. "And that's how you do it, pity you expired." Clairvoyant smirks and strums her new weapon. "Beautiful" She smiles as she hooks the strings on her gloves. With a flick of her wrist the strings unhook and retract into the gloves. "The hunt is on now."

Tampa, late evening, Red Hood was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, tonight was recon he had to learn the layout of the land. His .50AE Mark XIX Desert Eagle that he was shot with by Deathstroke in one holster and a smaller .41 AE Jericho 941 aka '_the baby eagle'_ in the other. He was traveling light even though he had plenty of ammo for both and various light grenades and pellets…force of habit.

Traveling the city felt rejuvenating, he flashed back to when he first was Robin. He didn't hate his former boss only his action that forced his hand. He shook off the feeling and spotted a cat burglar entering a closed store. "Time to go to work." He stealthily ran up on the criminal then tapped his shoulder. The guy spun pulling out his gun, Red Hood batted out of his hand, "Whatcha' doin'?" He back hands him twice, "Breaking and entering?" The guy roared and threw a haymaker, Red Hood grabs it shattering it in three places. "The name's Red Hood." The man screams as Hood sets it, the guy begins to faint. "No, no." he slaps him back to consciousness. "Info. Now. Where do I find The Punisher?"

"I d-d-dunno." The guy cries, "Swear ta…"

"Swear to ME!" Red Hood shouts '_Man how I wanted to say that._'

"I'm small t-t-t-time not even on his radar." The man stutters as Red Hood twists his arm.

"Obviously little fish." Red Hood states

"How do you know my name?" the man was Phish small time punk, low life that not even Hood's former boss wouldn't think twice about. Red Hood smiles under his helmet upon discovering his prey's name.

"Fuck you that's how." Red Hood shot out without missing a beat.

"ARGH! Punisher goes after the syndicates he just took out Howard Saint." Phish cries as Red Hood squeezes his swelling arm. "That's all I know I swear I'll go straight."

"What you are going to do fish is swim out into the Tampa stream and gather information for me." Red Hood commands.

"You a cop?" Phish receives more pain for his stupidity.

"Really maybe I should shatter your arm." Red Hood resets his arm to Phish's screams.

"No p-p-please." Phish whimpers, "I'll do it."

"Serve me well and I will reward you fail me… well you have another arm." Red Hood releases him and splinters his arm with a med kit he carried. "Free clinic on Main and Gourd." He tosses him a few hundreds. "Go."

"Yessir." Phish gathers the money and leaves post haste. Red Hood smirks under his helmet and runs into the night.

Punisher was in his van in the corner of N. Ashley and E. Jackson St, he was on stakeout on an up and coming crime family, the Gnucci. From what he gathered it was run by its _Madrina_, Isabella Carmela Magdelena Gnucci aka Ma Gnucci. Rumor had it she killed her husband Carlo Gnucci Sr. From the intel Soap in TampaPD gave him Carlo Sr. was busted for among other things child sex trade and turned informant. Ma Gnucci killed him not for turning informant that could be forgiven but rather what he was busted for…Unforgiveable or palatable.

Ma Gnucci was taking over what Howard Saint left; she started out small but in an act of desperation or boldness infiltrated the Saints. Rising through the ranks waiting for the perfect time to strike; it came when Howard failed to kill the entire Castiglione clan. Enter Frank Castiglione as the vigilante only known as the Punisher. '_An eye for an eye_ ' Punisher ended Howard but in an act of punishment allowed him to live as the feds and God know who else took him in. They had irrefutable evidence via Punisher gathering it for Soap. Soap was made Lt. Detective and rode the desk, which was fine by him and Frank.

Frank had the former_ Saints and Sinners Club_, which he was now staking out, bugged from ground to roof. The Gnucci's found some but not all of them. She watched as a woman in her late twenties clearing wearing a blonde bimbo wig and a dress that only amplified her rather curvy figure and ample bosom entered the club. He noticed she was fiddling with her headphones and seemed to be in pain. He drinks his coffee and continued to observe.

Over the river walk, on a roof of a closed building, Red Hood used his optics in his helmet to zoom in on the same club. He too noticed the blonde wig woman. "No it couldn't be nah." He saw a black van, GMC, stock rims, late 80s with a man inside it. "Oh goodie!" Red Hood leaped off the building launching his grapple out and swinging towards the van. "Time to say hello."

He landed with a loud thump atop the van; shots rang out as bullets exited the roof. Red Hood backflips off the van pulling his own weapons out firing back. Punisher dives and opens a compartment pulling out a M16A2 rifle with M203 grenade launcher. He hits a button and the back doors fly open as do rounds from his assault rifle.

"Jesus!" Red Hood shouts.

"You're about to meet him!" Punsher replies and fires off a grenade. It explodes as he rushes out. Red Hood jumps behind a dumpster, he looks back he's gone. '_**CHICHIK!**_' Punisher cocks a Colt, "Dammit." Red Hood rolls flash pellets out of his sleeves and polarizes his optics. They go off Punisher covers his eyes as Red Hood takes his gun and leaps behind him. '_**CHICHIK!**_' Red Hood cocks his Desert Eagle and points it along with the Colt behind Punisher's head.

"Dammit." Punisher growls '_**SHKT!**_' a spike shoots off the handle of the Colt. Red Hood drops the weapon in pain and receives a fist to the face planting him on his ass.

"Clever bastard." Red Hood leg sweeps spinning to his hands then pushes off slamming both feet into Punisher's chest. Red Hood now standing on Punisher's chest speaks, "Look I'm not after you like that." Punisher kicks him off and rolls to his feet. A crowd begins to gather and take video as they square off.

Punisher charges sending a volley of punches and kicks as Red Hood blocks and parries. "Look I only wanted to talk." Punisher is not hearing it as he catches Hood's arm and twists it back. Red Hood backflips and reverses the hold, "Look I've been trained by the best." Punisher spins and punches him in the side caving him to the crowds 'Oooos' and 'Ahhs'. He side steps into him and kicks in the back of his leg.

"You're good kid surrender and I'll only break the shoulder." Punisher states his voice full of steel.

"How about I yield and I keep my bones intact." Red Hood retorts.

"You drew first blood." Punisher fires back.

"I only landed on your van PSYCHO!" Red Hood shouts struggling.

"You blew my op now I blow your…" Punisher notices a flashing light on his inner thigh.

"Touch it and kiss your pride good bye." Red Hood smirks.

"You fu…" Punisher is cut off.

"Not in front of the kids." Red Hood cuts him off, "Let go and I will get it off you." Punisher does as Red Hood rises and hits a button on his belt. "You can remove it now." Punisher does then hits him with a right cross. "Okay I deserve that but you were going to break my shoulder." Red Hood looks at the crowd, "Show's over." He looks at Punisher signaling him to follow.

Curious Punisher does getting in his van Red Hood hits a button in his wrist and his bike comes to him. As they drive off the blonde in the club narrows her eyes.

"Dammit!" She curses as she leaves the club followed by a group of Gnucci thugs. She walks into a dark alley and hears a wolf whistle. "Not tonight boys cramps."

"So we'll use your other holes." a tall muscular thug smirks.

"Oh that's soooooo gonna win me over." The woman removes her wig and enters the shadows. "Not in the mood, last chance."

"I don't give a shit nor do my friends." A smaller thug responds as a dress is thrown into the light. "Saving us the trouble eh? Now be a good girl and come out on your knees."

"I got something for you that's thick and juicy." The first thug adds.

"Had dinner already…" Clairvoyant comes into the light fully changed into her uniform. "How 'bout dessert." She clasps her hands together and extends them light reflects off the strings. They charge her and she meets them head on. She wraps her weapon around the tall one's arm and pulls. Blood sprays as his arm is severed and the man screams. She kicks the small one in the face and wraps her weapon around his neck spring boarding off him onto a fire escape. She flips over a thick power line and pulls down. The small one is hung and his body drops missing a head.

"Donnie!" The tall one calls out as he passes out from his bleeding stub. Two other athletic built thugs surround her with weapons cocked. She unhinges her strings. Before they can fire she dashes right slashing upwards severing a jugular. She then wall runs slashing across as the strings rip through the others face and eyes blinding him. In one quick motion she rehinges her strings and wraps them around his mouth, she pulls and its over in a spray of crimson.

She hears clapping and turns and is face to face with Ma Gnucci, "Welcome to Tampa." Clairvoyant narrows her eyes as does Ma, "Let's talk, Bobby get someone to clean this up." Clairvoyant retracts his strings and walks past Bobby who checks her out.

_Red Hood's Penthouse_, "Have a seat Punisher." Red Hood motions to a couch. Punisher sits, "Beer?" Red Hood removes his helmet revealing a burgundy mask and red hair.

"Whiskey." Punisher replies taking notice of the place.

"Knob Creek?" Hood opens up his minibar pulling out a bottle and two glasses filling them.

"Works." Punisher states as he receives a glass from Red Hood.

"My name is Jason Todd, since I already know your name is Frank Castiglione." Jason removes the mask and sets it down.

"Castle." Punisher nods.

"Frank Castle…I'm from _Gotham Island_ and no I do not want to be on your list. I seek the same as you justice and like you seek it to fit the crime." Jason states.

"Great you're some new rich boy, trying to get his rocks off. Stay out of my way or catch a bullet." Punisher scoffs.

"Rich no, this is just the luck of a benefactor. As for my rocks you're not a tall brunette with a backside that matches her chest." Jason raises his glass to him.

"Point…Todd." Punisher states bluntly.

"A partnership." Todd proposes.

"I don't play well with others." Punisher turns it down.

"Nor I but I plan to stay here and well my old habits are not going away anytime soon and I do not want to capture your said fore mentioned bullet." Todd points out.

"Then just stay out of my way, I wasted too much time here thank you for the drink…What the hell do you call yourself?" Punisher rises to leave.

"Red Hood." Jason Todd states as Punisher pauses. "Yes... that was me."

"You should have finished the job." Punisher pulls out a file from his trench. He had his suspicions when he fought him earlier and did a little research on the way.

"I did." Jason narrows his eyes and Punisher drops a file with a picture of Deathstroke at his former bunker in _Gotham Island_. "Impossible! I killed him and hung him on that bridge."

"Those were taken yesterday and touch Phish again I will put that bullet I mentioned in your head." Punisher downs his drink, "See you around Red Hood." Punisher leaves. Jason looks at the picture and downs a painkiller with his Knob Creek.

"Please find me." Jason growls.

_**END.**_


	3. Groundwork!

_**A/N:** Okay where have I been? Well I got a new job and I now work 7 days a week so I've been trying to get use to the schedule. Sorry guys but I think I almost have it down on when I can write. I still need a new editor for this series please pm me if you are interested till then enjoy. Tra La_

_~Scratimus_

* * *

_**Groundwork**_

_Tampa Bay Harbor,_ it's been three weeks since Clairvoyant got connected with the _Gnucci Crime Syndicate_. She had proven herself to be invaluable to them as an enforcer and hit girl. Clairvoyant had no further need to scratch her vice for there was no shortage of people who need to be wacked. If she wanted to go on a mass killing spree she was provided with the means to enjoy her vice without hindrance.

Tonight Ma Gnucci needed her shipment of various illegal resources, ranging from drugs to human trafficking both sexual and simple entry into the country, guarded. The latter of the trafficking if they were short on their fee worked in various sweat shops through out the area and Miami. Clairvoyant hated these assignments due to the fact that nothing really happened. Everyone with common sense stayed away, everyone except two of citizens.

On a building watching from the shadows was Tampa's newest arrival Red Hood. After confirmation on Gnucci's newest member's identity, the syndicate had his full attention.

On the opposite end of the harbor, Punisher was laying down the _**groundwork **_for a heavy takedown. For the most part since Red Hood's arrival Punisher had no troubles from him. He had seen Hood's work; the guy was clever but never seemed to shut the hell up during his ops. Punisher let his guns do all the talking.

Red Hood pulled out his M107 LRSR .50 sniper rifle and laid flat on his belly. He had wanted to use his new toy. Took him over 3 weeks to crack Deathstroke's lock on the rifle's case but it was so worth it. He didn't really need to use the scope for his helmet did all that for him. He took a breath and squeezed the trigger.

A boat exploded taking several made men with it causing confusion and knocking Clairvoyant on her ass grabbing her head. The explosion had wrecked all sorts of havoc with her equilibrium and deafened her. At the same time, Punisher opened fired mowing down hundreds more goombahs.

"Well hello there Castle." Red Hood said from his perch.

"_Nice touch_." Punisher thought to himself as he finished a belt and attached a new one to his **M60E4** (_co-axial_). A man explodes splashing him in crimson behind him. Punisher didn't even look behind him as a smirk crept into the corner of his mouth. As more goombahs tried to flank him, they trigger claymores obliterating themselves.

"Holy shit!" Red Hood shouts as he quickly disassembles his rifle and hid it away. He fired off a grapple and made his way to the action.

Punisher drops his gun like a sack of potatoes and advances; he had most of them on the ropes now it was time to hang them with it. A wannabe ninja Mafioso who probably weighed no more than a buck-ten soaking wet, nailed him with a roundhouse. Punisher spat out blood and popped his neck as he caught the next kick then shattered it with an elbow. On a good day Punisher could lift 300 pounds like paper weights as he, still holding the ninja by the leg, throws him into a shipping container splattering his head upon it. The wannabe was a bat to him and he just scored a homerun.

"Good lord man." Red Hood gulped.

"What the hell you doing here Hood." Punisher growled letting go of the ninja.

"Taking down a Gnucci shipment." Red Hood smarted off and fired his D-eagle taking out an oncoming goombah.

"Bug out my op while you can." Punisher pulls out a throwing knife sending it into a thugs jugular.

"Can't personal." Red Hood continued firing.

"Too bad" Punisher replied taking out several more goombahs and thugs.

"Kiss my ass Punisher, my target is here." Red Hood was irked nobody told him what to do.

"Thought it was the shipment." Punisher replied confused.

"Secondary you can have it Clairvoyant is mine." Red Hood pointed at her atop a shipping container.

"Clair-what?" Punisher charged a goon coming behind Red Hood pushing him away. Red Hood spun around Punisher using him as a pole and slammed his composite tip boots into the goons face finishing him off.

"I knew he was there." Clairvoyant hissed.

"Move!" Punisher shouts as Red Hood without looking fires his baby eagle into three more Gnucci solders' chests.

"Back to back." Red Hood shouts as Punisher and him cover each other's back unloading their guns in the mob soldiers. Around them bodies fall as pieces of them splatter on containers.

"Reloading." Punisher tells him.

".45ACPs?"Red Hood points out.

"Yeah." Red Hood replies.

"Back pocket I got your six." Red Hood and Punisher spin as Punisher reloads and Red Hood takes out several more soldiers in the process. "Reload."

".50AE?" Punisher asks

"In both." Red Hood answers.

"Left trench pocket, go." Punisher orders as he returns the favor. They finish the last of them.

"Thanks." Red Hood smirks.

"We're even." Punisher brushes him off.

"Shipment is all yours." Red Hood steps aside as something catches his motorcycle jacket. It rips as Red Hood gets out of his jacket. Inside his helmet he grits his teeth as Clairvoyant retracts her weapon. He rushes her before she can shoot out her catgut strings slamming his fist into her jaw.

They trade blows and parries as they battle across the harbor. Clairvoyant manages to fire off her left glove's strings but Red Hood catches it with his plasma sharpened survival Bowie knife. They pop as he severs them, his left hand strikes her solar plexus caving her. Before he can finish her she recovers wrapping the strings in her right glove around his thigh. She pulls cutting deep as she retracts them. Red hood shouts as he pulls out his Desert Eagle fires but misses as Clairvoyant knocks it out of his hand. She comes in close "_**BAM!**_" Red Hood fires his baby eagle into her gut.

She falls as he rises, "Got'cha bitch!" Blood runs down his legs saturating his fatigues. He kicks her wound in her gut causing more intense hemorrhaging. He takes three steps and falls out cold.

Jason wake up on a table, he looks around and sees his blood on gauss. "She got you good." A deep voice states, its Punisher would just finished washing his hands.

"Aw you do care." Jason replies seeing his leg stitched up and looks around. "Nice digs."

"No, I see you as useful." Punisher replies ignoring the compliment. "You got skill Hood I'll give you that but lack proper firearm training."

"I took out that boat." Red Hood tilts his head.

"As I said you got skills but I've seen you use your hand cannons…sloppy." Punisher hands him his guns.

"I am not being your sidekick!" Red Hood declares as he check his firearms over and their chambers before holstering them.

"I am not looking, but if you are going to use firearms I don't want to be caught by a stray bullet much less an innocent." Punisher points out, "Then you would force my hand." Red Hood swallows hard.

"Partners?" Red Hood states calmly hiding his pending enthusiasm.

"Associates." Punisher states flatly as he helps him off the table. "Learn what you can but don't ever get in my way on my ops."

"Fair enough but your lair's security is lack." Red Hood shakes his head flashing back to his days in the Bat-cave. Punisher shoots him a look. "Even the hardest of badasses must be prepared I should know I was with the best."

"Batman."

"Yup, doing research on me huh?"

"No I noticed your hand-to-hand and I do watch the news." Punisher notes, "Never figured Wayne for the Batman."

"How did you?"

"I simply googled your name linking it to Wayne and drew my own conclusions. Thanks for confirming though."

"Clever bastard, you know…"

"I do and not interested my war is here." Punisher gestures him to follow him.

They arrive at a makeshift gun range he put together in the abandoned subway. At the end of the range were 6 of Gnucci gombahs tied to poles. While Red Hood was out and recovering Punisher had taken out another Gnucci racket these were the worse of the rest. He had caught them taking photos of a pornographic persuasion involving rather distasteful aspects of a younger generation of males.

He told this to Red Hood who took out 2 of them without looking using kunai knives in their genital directions. They bled out like the pigs they were. "Shall we begin?" Red Hood inquired to Punisher's nod.

Clairvoyant thrashed about sweating fighting off fever and lead poisoning. Red Hood had shot her with ammo he had been saving for her. La Madrina had brought in her most trusted street physician, he didn't really use anesthetics, for he believed if fate allowed you to live then you would pull through. The sick bastard reveled in it, he loved to see people suffer in torment while under his loving care.

La Madrina was pissed several of her operations had gone "_south_". Other families were watching her as much as she was watching them. Alone Punisher was a pain in the ass that the other families had to endure and ride out. Her family was the smallest in Tampa's underworld and she was, for a time, making moves and moving up the proverbial food chain. Now this new comer had arrived and was setting up the _**groundwork**_ to take her family down as well as the others. "Carlo your our consigliare set up a meet with the other families this ends before it has time to begin." The bug in the office transmits the new information to Punisher at his HQ.

Carlo Gnucci, La Madrina's son and a date rapist he was the Gnucci Crime Syndicate's consigliare and La Madrina's first born. He nodded and left taking three associates with him. He was always trying to gain his mother's approval but failed at every turn regardless of successful results. It never stopped him though family was everything to Carlo it was also his greatest weakness, he had the scars to prove it.

As Carlo left La Madrina's street physician walked in wiping his hands with sanitizer. "Apparently fate wants this one to live." The man was creepy beyond words and his skin was blacker than a moonless night. He was from New Orleans deep within Cajun and Voodoo country.

"Is that so Nox?" La Madrina held her reserve; Nox could smell fear and fed off it like a tick on a dog. His name literally meant night in Latin.

"Indeed it is Madrina." Nox nodded revealing unreal bright white teeth.

"How long?" La Madrina narrowed her eyes.

"Give her a week, this one is strong, but I must recommend she not lead any missions for a while leave her to her own devices." Nox shrugged.

"I will take this under consideration, how much?" She got right to the point.

"Nothing consider this a favor." Nox closed his eyes briefly.

"I don't forget favors Nox." Madrina pour herself a nice red wine.

"Nor do I." Nox smiled his pearly whites nearly blinding La Madrina.

Red Hood returned to his penthouse, he didn't bother coming in through the front but rather the back entrance. He exited the entertainment center entry way and poured himself a Crown Royal Reserve and popped an Rx pain pill. He then ran the hot tube, undressed and collapsed inside it letting the hot water loosen muscles and scarred flesh. He awoke hours later with an idea, he had went to school for electronics specifically surveillance, with his new found resources he start his own business. He smiled to himself as he got out his skin shriveled like a prune and went to work on a business plan for R.E.D Securities.

Punisher was in his training room lifting weights honing his body to perfection. He wasn't obsessed with fitness but viewed it as a necessity for the underbelly of society was not going to show any mercy. Drowning Pool blazed in one of his ear buds his other was open and focused on his surroundings. His domain had only been infiltrated once by one Jigsaw the Saint that survived and was missing an arm and his once handsome face shattered. Punisher was impressed he survived and rewarded him with a bullet to his skull sent with love.

Clairvoyant dropped down a body in tow she needed this, more than anyone could know. The victim was random, a rarity for her, it was a female no more than seventeen. She spotted her after a concert she couldn't remember the band nor did she care. The teen squawked as she hit the nasty water striking the cold cement.

Punisher heard the echo and replaced his weights then grabbed his Colt 1911s. He walked out a train cart and heard a scream. He cocked his guns and was off.

Clairvoyant hissed as she struck her prey again with her signature weapon. Gashes sprung open like mini trenches on the teen's legs and arms. The poor girl screamed to no avail or relief it only spurred Clairvoyant on. She drew back and something caught her wrist and with a sickening twist snapped it down. She turned to face her attacker, "Oh shit!" with a whip of her free hand struck upward slicing across the skull symbol followed by ripping of flesh on Punisher's face. He stumbles back as Clairvoyant spins slashing across his chest forming a cross over the skull. So long as she kept him at a distance Punisher had no chance.

Drawing his guns he fires on Clairvoyant spinning her the opposite way. She hits the ground in a thud but no blood. Punisher moves in and kicks her head brutally and picks up the girl and exits to the surface. He is met by the battle van and places her in the back the girl passes out. Good all the better for her Punisher races to the nearest hospital and drops her off and returns.

Clairvoyant is gone so he returns to his base of operations. He begins to make moves to fall back to a safe house near the docks. He suddenly looks up and pulls his knife catching the catgut. Before she can strike him with her free hand Punisher pulls her in violently into his waiting fist. As fist strikes meat the blow seems to echo throughout the train. Clairvoyant spins on one leg and comes down on Punisher with a drop kick. Punisher catches it and violently grabs her leg then slams her into the ground then twists it in a sickening crack. Clairvoyant screams has her leg dislocates from her hip.

"Where's the meet girl." Punisher slams his heel into the small of her back. "WHERE IS IT!" He slams his knee into the center of her back pulling the dislocated leg towards her shoulder. Clairvoyant's eyes roll back and she passes out from the pain. Punisher picks her up like a doll and throws her into a steel dentist chair. He then straps her down and removes her weapons.

He looks at cell on a table, "This is Red Hood's mark." Usually he would just take her out after draining her of information. However Punisher felt honor bound to hand her over to Red Hood. The guy was wreck less to say the least but for the most part their goals were the same. He picked up the cell and dialed Jason Todd.

"On my way." Jason killed the line. Punisher caught her, he felt hallow, he wanted to catch her. "At least he caught her and called me." He put on his persona and exited the penthouse via the entertainment door.

Punisher HQ, several of Guncci's men jumped down into the sewer. They were ordered to track Clairvoyant down. La Madrina wanted to know where her most valuable enforcer hung her strings. They heard struggles coming from the tunnel ahead of them.

"The meet Clairvoyant!" Punisher's voice echoed.

"That's Castle!"a goon stated as the other cocked their guns and made their way down.

"This time we got the jump on that fucking bastard." His second in command replied to the agreement of all. Slowly they made their way in trying to remain as quiet as can be.

Punisher was interrogating Clairvoyant, he was safe in his own HQ nobody would bother him as he worked. The goons track Punisher's location and take positions on opposites posts of the door. "The meet Clairvoyant!"

"Fuck you Castle!" Clairvoyant states defiantly and spits in his face. Punisher growls as he wipes the saliva from his cheek. He hits a the leveler on the chair standing it straight up. He pulls down a chain with a meat hook and attaches to the bottom of her legs. He grabs a machete from the table just then the goons rush him. He plants the machete into the forehead of the first goon. In a spin he yanks it out in a spray of crimson splashing upon Clairvoyant. The machete decapitates the second in command in a single motion sending his head flying into a third goon. The goon screams as Punisher shoves the blade into his mouth exiting the back of his head. The final two make a break for it scared out of there minds.

As they run back into the dark two shots are fired followed by more crimson and brain matter "Ding dong" a voice calls out. From the dark Red Hood comes into the light. "This place is compromised get her and lets go." Red Hood holsters his weapon. Punisher pulls out his machete and stabs it into a wooden table.

"I got a safe house off the _Tampa Amtrak station_ get those weapon caches." Punisher commands Red Hood nods grabbing them.

"Jesus what the hell is in here." Red Hood struggles.

"Shut up." Punisher states and points to his battle van "Princess here has info."

"So kill her after?" Red Hood says rather disappointed.

"That's the plan." Punisher replies and tosses her carcass into the van. Red Hood plants a heavy crate on her.

"Stay." Red Hood commands to the furious eyed Clairvoyant. Punisher adds another crate atop the on Clairvoyant effectively pinning her down. Red Hood shuts the door as Punisher gets in and leaves. Red Hood isn't far behind.

"LaMont come in." a two way goes off on the goon that has a spliting headache. "LaMont! Shit." The two way on the decapitated second goes off, "Miguel come in." Blood becomes a large puddle and mixes, "Miguel! Dammit answer me." It flows towards a timer on a count down. 3. 2. 1. The sewer explodes sending a pillar of flame into the Tampa night sky.

Saints and Sinners club, La Madrina just overturned a table and slammed her fist into a lacky. For what seems like an hour she fires off explicative after explicative in Italian. "You found the rat bastard's hidey hole and he still escaped?" She pulls out a knife and throws it at a lieutenant who catches it. She pulls a gun and the lieutenant walks to her and places it on her desk. Madrina puts the barrel on his forehead.

"Do it." The lieutenant is without fear. Madrina smiles and holsters her weapon impressed and promotes him to underboss. "Where's Clairvoyant?"

"Unknown the area provide no evidence of her demise. Last report from LaMont and his men came from that area. We found them in literal pieces. Best guess is they just stumbled upon Punisher's lair." The now underboss reports.

"Find them hack into LexCorp Satellites…I want them found thirity minutes ago!" La Madrina dismisses him and his crew; she then pour herself a glass of nice Chianti and sits down.

Punisher Safe house, N. Nebraska Ave. and E. Zack St, Clairvoyant has passed out due the amount of weigh put upon her during the ride. Punisher carries her to his workstation hanging her upside down on a chain. The back of her costume is ripped off exposing skin. Red Hood brings in the last crate and grabs a bucket and a blow torch.

Punisher grabs a cooler filled with ice and popsicles and set them behind Clairvoyant out of view. Red Hood sets the torch on a table and fills the bucket with ice cold water. He throws the icy water on Clairvoyant violently waking her up. She shouts and sees her captors prepping. "GET ME THE!" She is cut off by Red Hood backhanding her.

"You are in no position. Now we do this easy or hard please choose the later bitch." Red Hood says sinisterly.

"The meet Clairvoyant or well I'll leave you two love birds alone." Punisher states eerily calm. Red Hood ignites the blow torch and sets it a bright blue and orange.

"What the…"

"2000 degrees Clairvoyant… Enough to turn steel to butter." Red Hood says sinisterly to the widen eyes of Clairvoyant. "Won't hurt at first but it's a lot better than the countless lives you victimize you sick bitch!" Sweat begins to bead on Clairvoyant's forehead. "The flame is too hot you see the flame sears the nerve endings shut killing them. You'll go into shock and all you will feel is…COLD." He turns her body so her face is to him and looking directly into his lenses. "Are you beginning to understand now Clairvoyant?"

"The meet." Punisher states and then looks at Red Hood.

"You wouldn't…" Clairvoyant looks at Red Hood.

"You don't know shit about me." Red Hood pops his neck.

"Whatever bat fake." Clairvoyant snaps back to which Red Hood backhands her again.

"Times change and so have I you see Batman never got it. You sick fucks never change… over and over no matter how many times your sent to that country club prison or Arkham. You come back and rack up another kill count." Red Hood chokes her, "You're right I am not Batman. I am something new entirely. Now where's the meet Clairvoyant."

"I don't know shit!" She cries out.

"Isn't science fun bitch?" Behind her he sears a steak and jabs her with a popsicle. She screams as she smell her own flesh burning. "You smell that Clairvoyant I am burning what little fat you have." He sears a fatty part of the steak and traces the popsicle up and down her sides. She is instantly a child again as she cries in shear terror. "THE MEET CLAIRVOYANT!" She jerks and screams as Red Hood jabs the popsicle again and again.

"At the new _Amtrak Station_ that's all I know!" She confesses in tears and Red Hood shuts her up with the popsicle he was using.

"Told you I was different." Red Hood chuckles as Clairvoyant spits the popsicle out and proceeds to curse him out. She rocks her body and the meat hook slices open her bounds in an instant she is on her feet and leaps out at Red Hood who caves her with a kick to the solar plexus.

She recovers but before she can move Red Hood stabs her in the collar with his bowie knife and twists. "It ends here bitch!"

Just then Punisher looks out a window, "Looks like they found her." Red Hood looks down and Clairvoyant has her hand on her belt a light blinks. Red Hood shouts and rips out the bowie severing tendons in her shoulder and before he can finish the job Guncci goons flood the safe house. Clairvoyant fights shock and unconsciousness and leaps out the window landing in a trash can. As Red Hood and Punisher make waste of the goons Clairvoyant has already gone dark.

Red Hood's Penthouse several hours later, Jason has finished off two bottles of bourbon whiskey. Punisher narrows his eyes at Todd's antics, he cannot help but see the same frustration he goes through on the daily. "Roof now." Punisher orders as Todd sneers but complies.

They arrive on the roof and Punisher strikes for the next several hours the two spar like mortal enemies. They get Clairvoyant that is set in stone but for now the war carries on.

_**END.**_


	4. Wet Work

_**Wet Work**_

_100 North Tampa Building, __**CEO Office, **_the thing about shatter proof glass... '_**SLAM!**_' Carlo Gnucci is tossed into the window and slides down it in a streak of blood and snot. The thing about shatter proof glass is that one can hit it over thirty-four times and it will shatter you before you crack it. Carlo Gnucci was La Madrina's number one son, her favorite; he was about 350 lbs round but had muscle and right now Red Hood and Punisher making him a window accessory. "The meet Carlo where and when?" Punisher growled.

"Fuccckk youu." Carlo groaned as Red Hood and Punisher popped him off the glass. "Putana!"

"Wrong answer cupcake." Red Hood chuckles as they rear back and toss him back on to the window. Carlo's cheek bones shatter and his eye sockets crack. Teeth give way in a splash of crimson sticking to the window. The_ Amtrak Station_ turned out to be a dead end much to the frustration of both Red Hood and Punisher. "We can keep this up all day and night but you will give us the info we seek."

"You are fu…" Carlo groans trailing off

"Do you really think so?" Red Hood pulls out a taser and slams it into Carlo's pride.

"FUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKK!" Carlo screams his voice quivering from the current coursing through his manhood. He soils and soaks himself as Red Hood rips the taser away and grabs him by the lapels. "Alright I give!" Carlo whimpers in a high voice. "Go to the pharmacy on 8th and Crenshaw." Red Hood nods, "You ask for something call Viagra and it will help you go fuck yourself!" Punisher grabs his throat and kicks the window.

Another thing about shatter proof glass, '_**CRASH!**_' one may not be able to crack it but hit it enough times and the frame gives. Punisher holds the now dangling Carlo out the window. "Weak arm Carlo." Punisher state stoically.

"_EVERGLADES_ AT 6PM TONIGHT! Now leave me alone." Carlo shouts pleading into the stone cold eyes of The Punisher.

"As you wish." Punisher lets him go; Carlo screams and impales himself on an antenna through his stomach. He screams as the antenna gives and he bounces off a roof leaving accents of crimson as he falls 42 floors to the cement below bursting like a water balloon sending entrails and various other bodily liquids everywhere. "We got some _**wet work**_ ahead of us."

"Damn so that what happens when you follow through with it?" Red Hood looks down at the splattered Carlo Gnucci. He gathers up the stash of cash from Carlo's safe. They were running low on ammunition and various other supplies. Red Hood could of restocked using Queen's money but decided not to involve him in any purchases from Punisher's connect on the Black Market.

They regrouped back at_ Red Hood's penthouse_; Punisher had be staying with him due to his HQ and safe house being compromised. Punisher didn't like it one bit, but the bed was nice. "Rack up Castle you can get at least 4 hours in before we make our move."

"Excuse me?" Punisher looks at Red hood like he lost his damn mind.

"It only logical I would too but I got a meeting at _Chase_. If this goes through I can be independent of my current benefactor." Jason Todd hit the shower he was 48 hours in no sleep. Punisher said nothing but agreed with Jason about the logic.

Four hours later, Jason returned meeting was a success and got the backing he needed. Frank had awoken 30 minutes before he came in, he simply nodded in greeting as Todd put some files into his safe. It was now 3pm. A Jet prop was waiting for them a private airfield via Punisher's tech: Microchip's connect.

It was now 4pm when they landed just outside the _Glades_. Red Hood was the first to spot La Madrina's goons as they jumped on to a swamp boat. They had little time for prep as they tailed the men. Punisher had spotted several other family recon teams…this was defiantly the place.

_Private Airport, Everglades_, La Madrina collapsed on the runway as a capo told her of Carlo's fate. "The son of bitch took my son." She wept bitter tears she love him dearly but would never really showed for it brought the best out of him. "I have to see him."

"Madrina there's hardly anything left of him after he was scraped off the sidewalk by the corner." The capo replied as La Madrina grasped his throat.

"WHAT!" She screamed in his face.

"The bastards dropped him off the top floor of the _100 North Tampa Building_!" he gasped as Madrina dropped him and cried out cursing in Italian and English. Another don from _Orlando_ met the crying Madrina, he was Tiberiu Bulat, he led the Russian outfit out of Moscow and was also coming up in _Tampa's_ brooding underworld. Tiberiu understood what it was like loosing a child; he had heard the news on the flight over on the _DBN_. It was fortunate for his outfit but barbaric to bask in it, he had an old world respect in this aspect. For now this was a meeting of the crime families, no one expected anything from one another but no one was going to risk not being prepared.

Tiberiu helped La Madrina up and passed her a hemp cigar. "To numb the pain Madrina. That fucking imbred swamp cunt of a man took my Gregor from me the same way." The old don lit the cigar as La Madrina took a deep drag and passed it back to him. "We need to end this pig fucker and his little girlfriend." With that said they both with their personal bodyguards got on a fan boat and were off.

It was 5:30pm the meet was about to begin as gators seem to be circling around the crime families in the humid afternoon. The dons and crew of the families forgave each other for the lack of formal wear but it was a blistering 98 degrees and 110% humidity. As the gators circled Red Hood and Punisher were finishing up placing the mines covering potential escape routes. This meet was too good to pass up, it was everything and more than what Punisher had hoped for.

Red Hood simply was in silence as he burst from the water stabbing his bowie into the neck of a Gnucci guard silencing his scream. He then relieved his prey's sidearm R16MP5 Canadian made but would do the job nicely due to the fact it had a suppressor too. The intentional splash caught the attention of a rival family's guard. "Gnucci forever!" Red Hood shouted and fired killing the guard. The shout traveled fast as the rival families radioed in what they heard.

At the meet the rival dons and guards drew their arms and pointed them at La Madrina. "YOU DARE!" Don Miguel Del Toro growled, he was the don of _Miami_ and everything to the south. His family ran the flow of coke and marijuana trade from _Cuba_ to _Florida_. His temper was as legendary as his ruthlessness.

"We come with hopes to solve our problem and you pull this!" Don Eric St. John. His family ran most of _Northwest Florida_ including its capital of_ Tallahassee_. Club drugs were his racket such as Ecstasy, Spanish Fly and various other date rape drugs and Heroine. He was the richest of the families and the most proper.

"You fools in case you haven't seen the news my son was murdered by our problem!" La Madrina stood her ground.

"Look around you idots. What stupidity this would be!" Don Tiberiu Bulat, the newcomer, he brought from Russia human trafficking of various vicious kinds and shipped according to desire. He didn't give a damn who or what or of what age all that mattered was the money. He was the most despicable and disgusting piece of human waste that every arrived off the boat.

A mine goes off and all is revealed as the crime families are showered with human and animal remains. "He's here" La Madrina says solemnly as she draws her side arm. The other dons shout orders over the radio as mines seem to go off closing off escape funneling them into one place. "He's herding us! Damn him!"

Over a radio Red Hood gives Punisher a SITREP. The families draw closer to the only escape and from the waters like something out of the movie _Platoon_ or _Predator,_ Punisher breaks the surface M249 SAW (_**Squad Automatic Weapon**_) in hand. He unloads the weapon mowing down the families. From the right flank behind them Red Hood breaks the surface Stoner 96 / Knights LMG (_**Light Machine Gun**_) in his hands. Body parts fly as they obliterate them.

By some unforeseen curse La Madrina and Don Bulat live and come out with only deep grazes and minor bruising. "They forced my hand." La Madrina hisses as she and Don Bulat swim to a backup boat the latter prepared.

"As they have mine." Don Bulat spits and climbs on the pilot chair and they speed off.

_Red Hood's Penthouse_, "She wasn't there and we missed two." Punisher gave the debriefing. Red Hood poured himself a whiskey and down a pain killer. His shoulder had ripped a little and his body wretched from the use of the LMG. Punisher down himself a Jack and poured himself another. The tention in the room was thick no one was to blame and both knew it so they left it alone. War has its small surprises some good, most bad, but that was the price to be paid.

La Madrina and Bulat formed an alliance that day with the other rival families taken out moves were advanced and territory was to be gained. The smaller families that weren't worthy of inviting were literally swallowed whole as the dark alliance advanced. They were made examples of and then fell in line. The _East Coast_ was given to Bulat and the _Gulf Coast_ to Gnucci. There were now only two big fish in the water and they were great white sharks.

La Madrina's Office, _Saints and Sinners Club_, "Get me Barracuda." She slammed down the phone and poured herself some red wine.

_Don Tiberiu's Office, __**Bulat Compound**__, Miami_, "Ivan time to go to work." Don Tiberiu smiled; Ivan Vassilovitch Dragovsky aka The Russian was hired by the crime boss La Madrina to eliminate the Punisher the first time. He located him while the Punisher was moving out of his latest safe house, still recovering from severe wounds suffered in a previous battle with the _Saint Crime Family_. Almost unarmed and weak, Frank Castle was beaten severely by the Russian, who took the chance to enlighten Frank about his views on capitalism and American comic heroes and enjoyed the exercise immensely. During the course of the fight, though, the Punisher learns that the hired killer has a serious aversion towards hot things. When the fight ends up in the apartment of Frank's obese friend, Mr. Bumpo, the Russian is stunned when Frank hits him with Bumpo's fresh pizza. Frank then has Bumpo lay on the Russian's head for many minutes. Since then Ivan cut ties with the Gnucci Family and La Madrina in favor of fighting for the Motherland aka The Bulat Crime Syndicate.

"No one beats tha Russian!" Ivan slams his fist together to the amusement of the don. Ivan chuckles insanely then exits the compound and is met by Bulat soldiers who open the door of a limo prepared for him. They drive him to a private airport and on to _Tampa_.

_St Petersburg, Florida_, just outside the bay, A large man, 6'10, black, over 375lbs of pure muscle wrestles a shark he caught in his boat. He is foul mouth and seems to speak with the vocabulary of a 5th grader. "Yo'u Muthaphuka!" He brutally beats the animal till it stops moving.

Satisfied he smiles revealing seven gold teeth four on top and three in the bottom. Engraved on the four tops are the letters F-U-C-K and on the bottom three Y-O-U. "I's go'na hav m's s'me muthaphukin' shark to'nte b'by." Surrounding the gold teeth are sharpened off regulars, he bites the shark ripping off a solid chunk and swallowing it raw. The blood from the creature drips down his chin the man doesn't bother wiping it. "Y'us D'lishous raw sonbitch but wai's til' I's getz y'u on the muthaphukin' grill. Nigga gonna be eatin' like a king boi!"

The man was known only by the name Barracuda. He grew up in _Boca Raton, Florida_, the eldest of two brothers and a sister. His father was an alcoholic who, in the night before he abandoned his family, burned Barracuda's hand on a grill while telling him to be "hard as the motherfucking world itself." He got into a fight in elementary school where he shoved his thumbs into a classmate's eyes.

After castrating a would-be attacker while in a youth detention center, Barracuda was recruited by the _**U.S. Army**_. As a **Green Beret**, Barracuda's A-team helped the _**CIA**_ install Leopoldo Luna, a South American dictator in the 1980s. He was also responsible for drug-running in Nicaragua to fund the Contras and committed atrocities against local villages to ensure no resistance.

When then Colonel Nick Fury investigated, Barracuda humiliated him by making it clear that the _**CIA **_and **Congress** would bury any report, as it implicated too many people. The team went AWOL in _Central America_ after that, though Fury was able to find and assault him five years later. According to his recollection, in another mission in Africa he engaged in cannibalism to prove his masculinity.

After leaving the service, he became a feared gangster. At one point he was arrested at the site of a gangland massacre. He had been snorting lines of coke off a decapitated head. He spent time in jail afterward where he struck a profitable partnership with Harry Ebbing, a corrupt and violent corporate CEO.

His cell rang in a familiar ringtone to the tune of '_A La Maria_' "'Cuda" He paused, "Y'us know it b'by." The voice on the other end continued, "Dat' Muthaphuka? Shiiit gonna cost ya extra." The voice continued "It's like dat, shit, keep yo money tight and yo mouth tighter its done." Barracuda cut the line and ran to the top of his boat to the wheel spinning his boat around and back to shore shouting more obscenities with maniacal laughter. The shark he killed slammed to and fro as he made his way towards the docks.

Barracuda entered the _Saints and Sinners Club_, La Madrina a file waiting for him along with more personal request. The man was dressed like a flamboyant business man with a silver blazer and slacks with a black dress shirt and white suspenders and a shiny leather belt. The blazer and pants had renaissance embroidery throughout and a top his head was a fedora with the same embroidery and a white band.

He made his way o the bar and the bartender poured him a Hennessey on the rocks. "Shit muthaphukas kn'w how to treat a nigga, shit." A guard approached him and lead him up stairs to La Madrina. They didn't bother searching him they knew he was armed and truth be told nobody wanted mess with him. La Madrina spun her chair and faced him fully then slid the file to him. "Bring him here and castrate him then shove them in his eye sockets and sew them shut."

"Shit, did yo' research on a nigga that's bo'd. 'ight bet." Barracuda smiled as he looked at the photo provided. "Y'u a dead muthaphuka, 'cuda got you sent boi! And it smells like my two favorite thi'gs pussay and mon'y." Barracuda clicked his tongue and smiled.

The Russian arrives in _Tampa_ and breathes in the evening air. Tonight he was hunting his prey and will not fail. A car was waiting for him on the tarmac with the key in the ignition. He hopped in and drove off into the night. He had a base of operations in Tampa since working for the Gnucci family. If anyone was smart and indeed most were everything he left would still be there.

_**END.**_


End file.
